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Monday 3/30 I had mild contractions throughout the day.... I was sure they were nothing and most likely just BH or false labor (they weren't really anything I had to stop for for) but by 7pm they were starting to become more regular. I kept thinking that they'd start fading (because I couldn't possibly be in labor... NO WAY!) By 11:30pm I went to bed (the contractions were getting stronger, I had to start breathing to relax during them) and DH (who was sleeping on the couch) came into the bedroom and I asked him for a glass of water. We he came back to bed I told him I thought I was having contractions, and he asked how close together they were..... ummmmm I don't know, I haven't been timing them, I just keep expecting them to go away! LOL.
We started timing them, they were about 3 minutes apart and lasting 40 seconds each. But they still weren't that strong or painful. By 1:00am I paged the MW on call who suggested that I take a bath and try to rest. I told DH to sleep and I got in the shower for about 30 minutes. I had contractions throughout the night and slept in between them a bit (which was AWFUL!), I was so relieved when the sun came up "I made it through the night!". By 7am I called the MW's and decided to go in to be checked, so at 10:00am we discovered that I was 3cm an 100% effaced. I'm in labor! Holy Cow! The internal check also brought about a good amount of bloody show. The MW said to go home and wait until my water broke or the contractions got closer and stronger, then to head to the hospital.
I went home and continued to labor - DH went into the office to get some things that he needed to work from home after the baby came (he works about 30 minutes from our home). I planned on resting, but laying down made it more difficult to deal with the contractions (which were getting stronger, I was now bending forward and rolling on my birthing ball with each contraction and moaning... I felt in control of the feeling, I can do this!) I decided if I wasn't going to lay down, I'll bake some brownies to bring to the hospital. It kept me focused on something other than waiting for the next contraction. My DH came home to the smell of freshly baked brownies and told me that I was crazy.. lol. At this time I felt like the contractions were getting much stronger and I wanted to get our things together and head to the hospital.
I was admitted at 3pm - but the MW on call wasn't able to come in right away. I was okay with that because I was still tolerating my contractions and staying on top of the feeling quite well on my own. The L&D nurse got me settled and checked me I was at 4cm now.... okay, a little progress. The contractions quickly starting increasing in intensity... and I started having a hard time staying on top of the feeling. Add in the fact that the nurse made me get back into bed every hour to monitor the baby's heartbeat... and that really started breaking my concentration. DH wasn't much help with rubbing my back or pressing to help with the contractions so I started feeling like I was on my own and a little lost. Still no MW! I asked about the birthing tub and was told it was being used (I think I was being lied to because my MW was not there yet). My lack of sleep from the night before started to wear on me, and I wasn't sure how much longer my labor would last until it was time to push... and then, would I have the strength? All things that I would have asked my MW, who was not there. I was checked and I was at 6cm...
I ended up getting the epidural... and I don't regret it at all given the situation I was dealing with. The MW showed up 15 minutes after the epi was set up.... looking very sorry. She checked me again and I was at 7cm. She kept an eye on my contractions to make sure they stayed regular... and as they started to space a bit she gave me a little bit of pitocin. The ctx stayed regular, and I could even feel when I was having one, which kept me connected to laboring. I could still feel my feet and legs, I wasn't completely numb. They had me turn to lay on my side at some point, and then switch to lay on the other side... as I did this, I started to feel pressure in my butt, which I knew was the baby coming down. My MW checked me again at 10:45 and said, wow! Baby's head is right there, you're fully dilated and it's time to push! The baby was out in 5 ctx - about 20 minutes. I did not have to strain to push, it was all very controlled, and peaceful. I had them place a mirror so I could see the baby crowning, which was helpful with the pushing, it kept me focused on staying open for the baby to come out (so he wouldn't sink back into me after a push). After the baby's head was out I could see that the cord was around the neck - so the MW cut it, I delivered the rest of his body and he was placed on my chest!. DH and I looked to see if it was a boy or a girl....Our beautiful baby boy was born at 11:37pm he was 7 pounds 2 ounces (much smaller than we all expected). I only have a tiny 1st degree tear and only needed 2 stitches. He was nursing about 10 minutes later. He is a wonderful baby and we are blessed to have him in our lives!
We started timing them, they were about 3 minutes apart and lasting 40 seconds each. But they still weren't that strong or painful. By 1:00am I paged the MW on call who suggested that I take a bath and try to rest. I told DH to sleep and I got in the shower for about 30 minutes. I had contractions throughout the night and slept in between them a bit (which was AWFUL!), I was so relieved when the sun came up "I made it through the night!". By 7am I called the MW's and decided to go in to be checked, so at 10:00am we discovered that I was 3cm an 100% effaced. I'm in labor! Holy Cow! The internal check also brought about a good amount of bloody show. The MW said to go home and wait until my water broke or the contractions got closer and stronger, then to head to the hospital.
I went home and continued to labor - DH went into the office to get some things that he needed to work from home after the baby came (he works about 30 minutes from our home). I planned on resting, but laying down made it more difficult to deal with the contractions (which were getting stronger, I was now bending forward and rolling on my birthing ball with each contraction and moaning... I felt in control of the feeling, I can do this!) I decided if I wasn't going to lay down, I'll bake some brownies to bring to the hospital. It kept me focused on something other than waiting for the next contraction. My DH came home to the smell of freshly baked brownies and told me that I was crazy.. lol. At this time I felt like the contractions were getting much stronger and I wanted to get our things together and head to the hospital.
I was admitted at 3pm - but the MW on call wasn't able to come in right away. I was okay with that because I was still tolerating my contractions and staying on top of the feeling quite well on my own. The L&D nurse got me settled and checked me I was at 4cm now.... okay, a little progress. The contractions quickly starting increasing in intensity... and I started having a hard time staying on top of the feeling. Add in the fact that the nurse made me get back into bed every hour to monitor the baby's heartbeat... and that really started breaking my concentration. DH wasn't much help with rubbing my back or pressing to help with the contractions so I started feeling like I was on my own and a little lost. Still no MW! I asked about the birthing tub and was told it was being used (I think I was being lied to because my MW was not there yet). My lack of sleep from the night before started to wear on me, and I wasn't sure how much longer my labor would last until it was time to push... and then, would I have the strength? All things that I would have asked my MW, who was not there. I was checked and I was at 6cm...
I ended up getting the epidural... and I don't regret it at all given the situation I was dealing with. The MW showed up 15 minutes after the epi was set up.... looking very sorry. She checked me again and I was at 7cm. She kept an eye on my contractions to make sure they stayed regular... and as they started to space a bit she gave me a little bit of pitocin. The ctx stayed regular, and I could even feel when I was having one, which kept me connected to laboring. I could still feel my feet and legs, I wasn't completely numb. They had me turn to lay on my side at some point, and then switch to lay on the other side... as I did this, I started to feel pressure in my butt, which I knew was the baby coming down. My MW checked me again at 10:45 and said, wow! Baby's head is right there, you're fully dilated and it's time to push! The baby was out in 5 ctx - about 20 minutes. I did not have to strain to push, it was all very controlled, and peaceful. I had them place a mirror so I could see the baby crowning, which was helpful with the pushing, it kept me focused on staying open for the baby to come out (so he wouldn't sink back into me after a push). After the baby's head was out I could see that the cord was around the neck - so the MW cut it, I delivered the rest of his body and he was placed on my chest!. DH and I looked to see if it was a boy or a girl....Our beautiful baby boy was born at 11:37pm he was 7 pounds 2 ounces (much smaller than we all expected). I only have a tiny 1st degree tear and only needed 2 stitches. He was nursing about 10 minutes later. He is a wonderful baby and we are blessed to have him in our lives!
